The eight best toys ever!

Where did Barbie, the Rubik’s Cube and Lego come from and who came up with the idea first?

Some of the toys we play with might look brand new, but many have been around for decades, even centuries. That means your grandparents and maybe even their parents played with them. Let’s find out more.

Yo-yo

The yo-yo is more than 2 000 years old and is thought to be the second oldest toy in history (the doll is the oldest). In ancient Greece, yo-yos were made from wood and terracotta (say teh-rah-cot-tah), which is a kind of hardened clay.

Barbie

Barbie is over 55 years old – she doesn’t look it though! She was thought up by a mother named Ruth Handler while watching her daughter play house with paper dolls. Ruth thought it would be nice if her daughter had a better kind of doll to play with and so Barbie was born. Before Barbie, almost all dolls were babies or children.

Lego

Lego is also super old – 56 years to be exact! The Tribe loves to play with Lego and Buffalo Brave’s favourite things to build with the blocks are castles, trains and the Chief’s teepee!

PlayStation

PlayStation’s origins date as far back as 1988 when Sony and Nintendo worked together to develop the Super Nintendo game. PlayStation is now one of the best-selling consoles ever.

The Rubik's Cube

The Rubik’s Cube has 43 quintillion correct solutions. No jokes! It was created in 1974 by Ernö Rubik and has been mesmerising and frustrating kids and adults ever since.

Train sets

Train sets were first made in Germany in the 19th Century. The early ones were powered with steam, just like the real thing. Some of them could even whistle and smoke! Electric train sets were only developed about 100 years ago.

Wii

Wii has games that everyone can enjoy together, from tennis and golf to dancing and even sword fighting! The clever Wii remote detects movement in 3D, so you feel like you’re really playing the sport.

Mr Potato Head

Mr Potato Head was around long before Toy Story came out! The first Mr Potato Funny Face Kit was sold in 1952, but it wasn’t plastic back then and kids had to stick the ears, eyes and nose into a real potato!